Best Tax Debt Relief Companies
Ranked by experts. Reviewed by customers.TM
Tax Relief
- Helped resolve over $3 billion in debt
- In business since 1997
- A+ BBB rating
#1 Tax Defense Network
- Helped resolve over $3 billion in debt
- In business since 1997
- A+ BBB rating
#2 Optima Tax Relief
- A+ BBB rating
- Variety of solutions
- Great refund policy
#3 StopIRSDebt.com
- In business since 2001
- A+ BBB rating
- Wide variety of services
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- Takes your existing debt and try to settle with your creditors for a lower amount. If you pay off the settled amount, your debt will be considered paid in full.
- Negotiates with your creditors on your behalf.
- Fee based on a percentage of your total starting debt or a percentage of the debt they save you.
- Most settlement companies have you create a separate "escrow" account where you will make monthly contributions over a certain amount of time to contribute to your settlement. Once there is a substantial amount of funds to show your creditors, the settlement company will try to negotiate a lower amount of debt.
- Combines all your debts and creditors into one monthly payment.
- Allows you to pay one monthly payment to the consolidation company, instead of multiple payments to different creditors.
- You no longer owe your original creditors; instead you pay one monthly payment to your consolidation company.
- Consolidation companies can help negotiate lower interest rates on your debts and help lower your total debt payment in the long run. A lower interest rate will lower the amount you owe in the end.
- Allows you to consolidate all your different debts into one personal loan that can be paid off over time.
- Can offer borrowers a lower interest rate with a longer payback term (compared to high-interest credit cards or medical bills). This will lower the amount of money required to pay off the loan over time.
- Personal loan debt consolidation can be an effective way to raise your credit score quickly (within 3-6 months).
- Borrowers can receive funds from their loan within only a few days.
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Price: 7% of Overall Score
Price is an important component of our debt settlement rankings. While this criteria point doesn’t carry as much weight as it does in the debt settlement and consolidation rankings, it’s still important. This point is not as weighted because other factors like the staff members of a company or the overall trust in them is a more important aspect of a tax relief company. Most companies you will need to call to get a price for your specific situation. Companies are awarded the maximum number of points if they display pricing on their site. Some points are award for general pricing information online, and some for giving pricing over the phone.
Professional Association Members: 7% of Overall Score
There are various organizations or associations that both companies and individuals can become affiliated with. Just because a company is a member of one of these organizations does not mean that they are a company that you should automatically be ok working with. However, when a company is a member it greatly increases the likelihood that they are a trustworthy business because of the standards that these organizations enforce. Certification with one or many of these organizations is a sign of trustworthiness to a certain extent.
Some of these associations include: The American Bar Association (ABA), The American Society of Tax Problem Solvers (ASTPS), National Association of Tax Resolution Companies (NATRC), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP), National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA), and National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP).
Staff Accreditations: 7% of Overall Score
A company’s staff credibility is an important aspect to receiving tax relief. It is important to know if a company has these members on staff. Each staff member’s certification and credibility to deal with customer tax relief is an important factor to the trust and legitimacy of a company.
- Enrolled Agent: An Enrolled Agent (EA) is an individual that has completed certain certification steps to be allowed to work with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They are empowered by the Department of Treasury. An EA is able to work with individuals in all 50 states. They are an essential part of a good tax relief company.
- Tax Attorneys:
Tax Attorneys have passed board exams and ideally have an excellent understanding of tax laws. They differ from regular attorneys in that they have dedicated additional time to focusing more specifically on tax laws. They are an incredibly important part of a good tax relief company. - CPA:
Having a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) on staff is important because they generally have a very good understanding of taxes and finance in general. They have passed specific exams and been certified to help with taxes. They are a (word cut) valuable resource for individuals regarding taxes.
Refund Policy: 6% of Overall Score
A trustworthy tax relief company stands by their word and they won’t make promises they can’t keep. A refund policy is one way of knowing whether a company will stand by their work or not.
Tax Problems a Company Works With: 5% of Overall Score
We want to see that a company can handle the following tax problems:
- Wage Garnish Relief
- Back Tax Solutions
- Tax Audit
- Tax Lien
- Levy
- Asset seizure
State Availability: 6% of Overall Score
Not all tax debt relief companies offer their services in every state. Because we want to reward companies that can help the greatest number of people, the more states a company works in, the higher their score.
IRS Negotiation Tactics: 5% of Overall Score
We want to see that a company has experience negotiating with the IRS in the following ways:
- Offer in compromise
- Installment agreement
- Currently not collectible
- Penalty Abatement
- Innocent spouse relief
- IRS Appeals
Minimum Tax Debt: 5% of Overall Score
As with most debt relief companies, tax relief companies will often only work with someone who has a certain amount of tax debt. The lower the minimum debt requirement is, the higher a company scores in this category.
Contact Information: 4% of Overall Score
The easier a company is to get ahold of, the better they are for consumers to work with. We judge companies based off whether or not they provide the following:
- Phone number
- Live chat
Time in Business: 3% of Overall Score
Generally, companies that have been in business for a longer period of time are more likely to be able to serve customers best. It shows they have a proven track record. While this isn’t always the case, it’s usually how things play out. A company that has been around for a long time has most likely proven they are able to keep customers happy.
User Reviews: 20% of Overall Score
As always, user reviews are essential to what we do at BestDebtCompanys.com. Your opinion is important, and the community wants to hear it!
Expert Review: 25% of Overall Score
We’ve spent a long time figuring out why the criteria points above are important, in addition to multiple other factors including: number of employees at a company, a companies ability to scale and much more. Because of this, we reserve the right to a portion of the ranking score.
